The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-01-18
MANUAL TRAINING.
pesirabiIIty Of instruction In Fun
damentai Mechanical Principles.

damentai Mechanical Principles.
The school committee ofSpringfeld, Mass,
in their annual report this year, devotes con-
siderable space to manual training in the city
schools. Here is part of what they say of
The committee cherish the hope that in the
near future the liberal citizens of Springfield
will provide for the use of the city, under
proper regulations, suitable buildings in
which at least 100 pupils can receive stimuli
taneous mental and manual training. The
cost of such buildings, exclusive of land, July
equipped with all the appliances for lnstruc-
tion in wood and metal working, need not ex-
coed $4,000. Pupils fe- such school should
not be less than 10 jears of age, selected for
merit after passirs grade eight in the gram
mar schools. 9. with the same requirements
If takca from par0chial or private schools;
they should be given three years course In
manual training in connection with regular
studies, consisting OF mathematics, drawing,
the sciences. and the English branches of the
high school course. The manual training de-
partment should include instruction in car
pentry, pattern making, wood turning filing.
forging, brazing, soldering. and the use OF
machine shop tools. The time of the pupils
should be equally divided beween mental and
manual exercises. 1t Is a remarkable fact,
established byexperience in manual training
schools, that scholars who devote half Of
their study hours to manual. exercises, must
equal progress in mental work with those
WIZ give al tnelT study n0urS 10 IL. The cost
OF maintaining school of this general char
acter would not greatly exceed the cost of
high school instruction, which In this city
was SS6per capita for the year 1886 Fifty
dollars per capita ought to pay the expenses
OF maintaining manual training school of 100
pupils.
The object in establishing such a school
is not to train apprentices and teach trades,
but to drill pupils iu the fundamental me-
chanical principles that are the basis of all
trades, ITO foster higher appreciation of the
value and dignity of intelligent labor and the
worth and responsibility of laboring men,
Its graduates will become intelligent work
the inexhaustible resources of our country.
and the promoters and defenders of that Pc
culiarly American civilization which is des-
tined in Gods providence, to lead the world
in every art and industry. The benefits to
this community, of such an institution would
be incalculable in maintaining the prestage
OF Springfield as a manufacturing center
where mechanical construction has been car
ried to the highest degree Of refinement
The fame OF Springfield rests almost entire
ly on the reputation Of her mechanics, and
the marvellous products Of their skill and gen
ius, a fact not fully appreciated here, but rec
ognized in every market of the world. There
Is danger that her fame will be overshadowed
by energetic and wide awake Western rivals,
who are alert to everything that promotes
their material progress, unless a united and
practical effort Is made by the city govern
ment and monyed and manufacturing inter-
ests OF the place to maintain its prestige and
preserve the pecuniary advantages that are
involved in it.